Rabbit's Tale
by Aron
Summary: Tradition is everything in the Kuchiki family. For Rukia, though, there are some traditions that she just doesn't have the heart to follow. But when she goes against Byakuya's direct orders, what price will her actions have?
1. Prologue

"That is my final word, Rukia…" he said, his expression blank, tone even and impassive, but eyes gleaming with the same cold authority that they always exuded, whether to his subordinates, colleagues… even to his own sister.

"But—Byakuya—!" Rukia stammered, craning her neck to try and stare her older brother in the face. But Byakuya didn't meet her gaze, apparently focusing his sights on the empty air in front of him.

"Do not make things harder for yourself by pleading against my choice," he chided, folding his arms and allowing his eyes to lower themselves towards Rukia, whose own eyes were shimmering with disbelief, although they never dipped low enough to look at her. "You are a Kuchiki, a noblewoman, and this is expected of you."

"Expected of me?!" she shouted, her voice echoing back off the walls and magnifying the outrage in her words, but Byakuya met the retort with little more than a curt nod.

"Yes, expected of you," he muttered calmly. "You have only been in this family for fifty years. You do not yet fully understand the traditions of the Kuchiki prestige. But that does not mean that you can go against them.

"You have ten days to choose, or I will choose for you," he added in that same calm voice, but the underlying current of finality was such that Rukia's snappy reply, already formed and halfway up her throat, was cut off as though his words had sliced through her neck itself. With that, he turned his back on his still-reeling sister and strode out of the room without a sound, or as much as a backwards glance.

Rukia slowly fell to her knees, her thoughts racing quicker than her mind could pin them down. What he'd just ordered on her was an impossible thing to imagine, especially not at a time like the present, where she was still coming to terms with the death of her mentor, and lieutenant of the 13th Division, Kaien Shiba – a death by her own hands, no less. And now, her brother had dropped a bombshell into her lap, seemingly content to let her suffer without any advance warning whatsoever.

"Rukia?" asked a sharp male voice behind her, and she turned her head to see the equally sharp face of her good friend, Renji Abarai. His tattooed brow was furrowed with concern, but, unlike his usual worries related to competition and fighting, this time was markedly softer; she could tell that he was worried about her.

"Renji? What are you doing here…?" she asked.

"Putting in my application to be Captain Kuch—your brother's lieutenant," he replied, crouching down next to her and resting his arms across his thighs. "He, uh… didn't look to be in a good mood when he walked past me just now."

"Oh, uh…" Rukia hesitated, wondering if she should tell him about what she didn't fully understand herself. "It's—just Kuchiki family business," she told him, nonchalantly waving his unease away with her hand.

Unconvinced, but taking the highroad by opting not to push the matter further, Renji stood up and sidled towards the exit as quietly as Byakuya had done moments before. "If you feel like telling me what's wrong, Rukia…" he said over his shoulder as he reached the sliding door, casting an eye at her back, "you know where I am, right? Even though it's not my place…"

"Thank you, Renji," Rukia sighed, still facing the other way, and Renji pursed his lips to hold back more words, marching through the doorway and out of sight. Listening to his muffled footsteps fading away, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and hung her head, trying to fight back the growing sense of unease crawling in her stomach. She pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes until circles exploded into her vision, watching dazedly until they faded before she finally got to her feet, but her head swam and her arms shot sideways to grasp the nearest wall for support.

'_What am I going to do?'_ she thought, looking out the window at the reddening sunset.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. A Request For The Captain

"Milady, it's time to retire for the night!" chirped a sweet-faced girl in a pink robe, sticking her head through the door with a somewhat forced smile on her face; as petite as Rukia was, she was still a Kuchiki, and service to the nobility was of the utmost importance for the servants of the family's estate.

"Hmm?" murmured Rukia, slowly coming out of the trance in which she'd been entrenched for the last half-hour. Her eyes stung as she tore them away from the soggy dregs of her teacup, wiping a drop of liquid from the corner of her mouth and setting the cup down on a low-set table in the centre of the lounge room. "Oh, right, of course," she nodded, standing up and following the girl into her spacious and tranquil bedroom.

"Are you alright, milady?" she asked with a look of puzzlement, as she helped Rukia undress out of her evening kimono.

"Yes, Shuko; I'm fine," Rukia muttered half-heartedly, her head still tilted downwards as the servant neatly folded her clothes, set them aside, and grabbed a set of silk pyjamas from a nearby cupboard. "Thank you," she said, quickly donning them.

"Is there anything else you need, milady?" Shuko inquired, her smile flashing back in an instant as her mistress turned to face her.

"Well, if you could freeze time for me, that would certainly be helpful," Rukia joked, although her voice was solemn, as it had been the entire night. Solemn enough, it seemed, that her servant didn't seem to catch on, instead looking at her with the same puzzled expression she'd worn only a few seconds beforehand.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kuchiki?" she smiled, sure that she'd misheard, and for a few moments she was met with a heavy and awkward silence, punctuated only by a weary sigh escaping from Rukia's lips.

"Never mind," she replied quietly, shaking her head and climbing on top of a mattress. "I just—" she broke off and laid the back of her head on her palms, looking up at the plain ceiling. "Your services are over for the night, Shuko," she suddenly said, a little bluntly. "Get some sleep."

"Ah—yes, milady!" Shuko squeaked hurriedly, bowing and rushing to the door. "When would you like me to wake you in the morning?"

"Sunr—actually, tomorrow… wake me up when you do," Rukia instructed, looking her way for a moment before resuming her upward stare. Shuko bowed respectfully again, sliding the bedroom door shut as she left, and Rukia blew out a deep breath, as though hoping some of her worries would spiral away into the night along with it.

"I doubt I'll be able to get much sleep, anyways…" she said to herself, closing her eyes.

* * *

_Ten days later…_

"Dude, look out!"

"What—?"

"It's that Kuchiki girl…"

"Captain Kuchiki's sister? Where?"

"Behind you, man!"

"Quick, look like you're doing something!"

"I _am_ doing something, you idiot! You're the one who's goofing off—!"

"Guys…" Rukia grunted, her eyebrows twitching in annoyance, and the two young men down the hallway yelped with fright and immediately began searching frantically for something to busy themselves with, almost crushing each other in their efforts to claim possession of a solitary broomstick lying against the wall. Rolling her eyes and fighting back a thunderous furore, she marched towards the two Soul Reapers and delivered a swift backhand smack to each of their noses, knocking them both flat on their rears.

"Look—Miss Kuchiki—!"

"We were just—!"

"Shut up, both of you!" she snapped, making them both recoil in fear, and she silently cursed herself for it. "I'm looking for Captain Ukitake. Do either of you know where he is right now?" she asked, reminding herself to use a softer tone this time around, but she felt her ire return when her fellows leapt to their feet so energetically that they almost jumped through the roof, jabbering nonsensically and trying to talk over each other, to give her an answer that she couldn't make out for the other one's exclamations.

"One of you!" she shouted, snapping at them again.

"Umm… he was talking with, uh, Captain Aizen in his—office about, umm… twenty minutes ago. I think," stammered one of the men sheepishly, pointing a shaking hand at the passage to his right. "They _should_ still be there…" he added, taking a flinching step backwards as Rukia rushed past him and into the hallway.

"Smooth moving, Jirō," the other man said dryly, smacking him across the head with the broom shaft.

Rukia, meanwhile, was already running down the hallway, weaving in and out of confused and disgruntled Soul Reapers who were tending to their everyday duties, some ducking out of the way to avoid her swinging arms, others shouting at her back as she almost ruined the object of their work. By the time she'd reached her captain's office, however, the congested hallway had quietened considerably, and she tentatively raised a hand to knock on the door.

Before she could even touch her knuckles to the wood, though, the door slid aside, and Rukia found herself staring at the chest of Sōsuke Aizen, Captain of the 5th Division.

"Oh, hello there, Rukia," Sōsuke smiled, looking at her from behind his rectangular spectacles.

"C-Captain Aizen!" she gasped, stepping backwards and bowing her head.

"I was just enjoying a chat with your captain," he said casually, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Without waiting for her to tilt her head back upwards, he slipped past both her and the door, disappearing without a sound. Rukia straightened up and opened her mouth to ask the captain a question, but blinked when she found that the only captain in sight was her own.

"Rukia?" came the voice of Jūshirō Ukitake, sweeping the snow-white fringe from in front of his eyes. "Please, come in," he said, beckoning with his hand. Rukia nodded and quickly stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind her, and Jūshirō took a seat on his lounge, helping himself to a small cube of white lying on a plate in front of him. "I can't see how Captain Aizen can eat so much of this… tofu is nice, but it's not great," he muttered in between chewing.

"Maybe… he has strange tastes," she shrugged, eliciting a snicker from her captain.

"Maybe 'strange' isn't a strong enough word," he grinned, leaning back and closing his eyes. "So, what brings you here, Rukia?" he asked, and Rukia did a double-take as she remembered the real reason for her visit.

"Oh, right—!" She sat on the lounge opposite her captain and folded her hands on her kneecaps. "Captain Ukitake, I would like to request—"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that you'd _like_ to request it, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here requesting it in the first place," Jūshirō laughed again. "There's no need to be so indirect, Rukia. I'm not going to jump down your throat for getting to the point."

"I—I know, sir," Rukia stuttered, starting again. "In that case, will you give me a pass to visit the Rukongai?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course I will," he said nonchalantly, not moving or even opening his eyes at the request. Apparently, he'd said the wrong thing, because when he finally did open them, he saw Rukia looking at him with shock written all over her face. "What is it?" he asked suspiciously.

Rukia swallowed nervously. "Well… I was expecting some more resistance than that, if I may be so honest, captain," she murmured, looking away and hunching her shoulders defensively.

"You wanted me to interrogate you over asking for a pass?" Jūshirō reasoned, and Rukia answered with a humble silence. "Rukia…" he sighed, getting to his feet and running his palm down the side of his face, "if you truly wished to tell me your reasons for wanting to go to the Rukongai, you would have used them to try and convince me for the pass."

"I—"

"I'm not finished." Jūshirō held out his hand, cutting off her interjection. "If your reasons were grim, you would have already told someone by now. And since Renji Abarai hasn't been acting strangely lately—" he stopped and gave a knowing nod when Rukia gave him an imploring look, "then your reasons clearly aren't grim. So, it's not my business to know."

"I could have asked for one for no reason at all," she said stubbornly.

"Give yourself _some_ credit, Rukia. You're not _stupid_," he teased, a tired smile flashing on his thin face just as the two Soul Reapers heard a flurry of knocking on his door. "Ah, that would be my other guest for the morning. I hate to be rude, Rukia, but if a Rukongai pass was all you came for, I'm afraid you'll have to leave right away," he told her sternly.

"Understood," Rukia replied with a nod, standing at once and making for the door, but she turned around with her hand resting on the catch. "Thank you, Captain Ukitake," she said warmly with a grin, which the captain returned with a curt nod and a sly wink.

"Keep yourself out of trouble… Rukia," he muttered, turning away and snapping up a rice ball from the plate on his table.

Rukia smiled again at his words, opening the door and walking into the hallway, but she stopped dead when she found herself looking straight at Jūshirō's next guest.

_Byakuya?_

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Byakuya

"B-Brother?" Rukia gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards as she saw the stolid face of Byakuya Kuchiki standing in her way. "I—what—no—"

"Captain Ukitake," Byakuya said calmly, looking straight over her head at his fellow captain.

"Ah, Captain Kuchiki!" Jūshirō replied merrily, walking up to him. Rukia quickly sidestepped to get out of his way, and he extended a hand to Byakuya, which the latter shook before walking inside to join them. "Rukia, if you would…?"

"R-Right away, Cap—tain," she stammered, slipping past her brother and walking away from them as quickly as her legs would allow her. But just as she came to the bend in the hallway, she heard something that made her heart skip a beat.

"Rukia, wait next to the door until I am finished talking to Captain Ukitake," Byakuya ordered. "You and I have something in need of discussion…"

Rukia felt herself frozen on the spot as he spoke the words, binding her feet to the floor and her arms to her sides like rigid boards. She wanted to keep walking away, but she couldn't bring herself to go against her brother's words, and by the time she finally turned around to accept his order, he had already disappeared inside Ukitake's office and closed the door.

Walking back to the door to wait for him took an enormous effort for her, every step feeling as though it was stripping her of daylight and breath. '_Keep yourself out of trouble_,' Ukitake had told her not five minutes earlier. '_How can I keep myself out of trouble when it ties itself to me with a lead weight…?'_ she thought sadly. She could feel her legs trembling, so she slipped down onto the floor and brought her knees up to her chin, fringe and robe turning the world black as she waited for Byakuya to emerge.

* * *

After what felt like hours of solitude, Rukia's head snapped up as the familiar _whoosh_ of the sliding door sounded next to her. She stumbled upright and stood at attention as the two captains emerged; Byakuya was as emotionless as ever, but Ukitake appeared a little worse off than before. _Perhaps it's his illness…_ she pondered silently, not daring to say a word to them until she was addressed.

"Jūshirō, when my lieutenant arrives, could you please send him in?" Byakuya asked, to which Ukitake gave a passive shrug of his shoulders.

"He can send himself in," he countered, with a sickly cough that confirmed Rukia's thoughts. "I need to feed my carp at Ugendō anyways. I trust that the three of you won't touch anything," he warned, the corner of his mouth flicking downwards as he cast an eye at Rukia, but before she could return the look with a puzzled one of her own, he turned on his heel and strode out of sight.

_Brother's… lieutenant?_ she wondered. "Captain… Ukitake…?" she murmured to herself, her eyebrows arched.

"Rukia," said Byakuya slowly, crooking a finger and heading back inside Ukitake's office.

Rukia could feel herself shaking as she followed him into the room; with just a simple motion, he was pulling her inside, to a room that suddenly felt like a courthouse. _With brother as the judge,_ she brooded, but she tried not to show her emotions with a downcast glance, instead keeping her head held high as Byakuya slammed the door shut.

"It has been ten days," he muttered, their backs facing each other.

"I… I know…" she sighed.

"And your decision?" he asked, moving to stand behind her. "Have you a choice?"

"I…" she began quietly, but she broke off, staring at her feet. "I have not…" she answered, and the silence that followed could have crushed even the strongest of Hollows.

"I see," Byakuya finally said. "In that case, you leave me no other course of action. I am obliged by the traditions of the house of Kuchiki to—"

"To take away my freedom?" Rukia shouted, unable to hold herself back any further. But she quaked under Byakuya's imposing presence behind her, and didn't have the strength to turn around and look him full in the face.

"I have told you this before, Rukia," he growled. "You are a member of the Kuchiki family. You follow the law of the Kuchiki house, and you do not question them. Is that understood?" he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that blew away any resistance Rukia had been trying to hang on to.

"Y—yes, brother…" she caved. A knock sounded on the other side of the door, and Rukia almost jumped through the roof in fright. Taking several deep breaths to regain her composure, she whirled around to see Byakuya greeting a vast man with cropped black hair, pronounced eyebrows and a sharp nose, his ample stomach hidden kindly behind the traditional Soul Reaper attire, and a lieutenant's armband, marked with the number six, on his left sleeve.

"Captain Kuchiki…" grinned the man. He had been chosen as Byakuya's lieutenant barely a fortnight earlier, a decision that had been required after the retirement of his previous lieutenant, Ginjirō Shirogane. His promotion ceremony to Lieutenant of the 6th Division hadn't been officially completed, but despite this, he wore his armband wherever he went as a sign of his new status. Rukia wrinkled her nose at him, but at that moment he noticed her from behind his captain's shoulder.

"So, you're Rukia… a pleasure, I'm sure," he smirked, bowing towards her with an extravagant and unnecessary flourish of his arms.

"Lieutenant Futoka, this is Rukia Kuchiki," Byakuya said, making the brief introduction for him. "Rukia, meet Isao Futoka, Lieu—"

"Lieutenant of the 6th Division," Rukia interrupted, feeling her resistance flaring up in his presence. "Byakuya, what is he—?"

"Let the _captain_ speak, sweetie," Isao barked, placing a particular emphasis on 'sweetie' that made Rukia's skin crawl.

"As I was saying," Byakuya continued, "this is Isao Futoka, Lieutenant of the 6th Division… and your future husband."

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	4. The Lieutenant

"Isao Futoka, Lieutenant of the 6th Division… and your future husband," said Byakuya, gesturing towards his enormous lieutenant, and the latter's face split into a wide grin as he looked at Rukia's face.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head, and she took a horrified step backwards.

"You lost your chance to have any say in the matter," Byakuya reminded her. "Isao is the head of the noble house of Futoka; he has great status in Seireitei and, consequently, the whole of Soul Society. I can see no more fitting man for you to marry than such a man as my lieutenant."

"Oh, stop, you're too kind," Isao laughed, crossing his arms and taking a step towards Rukia, which she countered with another one backwards. "Come on, now. There's no need to treat your husband so coldly—"

Rukia snapped.

Before Isao had time to blink, Rukia had leapt forwards and swung her leg up high, striking him in the chin with a vicious kick that sent his head snapping backwards. He toppled comically onto the floor with a dull thud, a wicked red mark already appearing across his jaw line. By the time he managed to raise his head, she had pounced upon him again, and she grabbed a fistful of the neck of his robe.

Despite the violent outburst, though, the lieutenant seemed neither shocked nor outraged. On the contrary, his eyes crinkled and his mouth curled upwards into a grin which seemed to stun Rukia and stop her from launching another attack his way.

"I must say, Captain Kuchiki…" he snickered, his gaze swivelling over to Byakuya, "if you'd told me from the outset that your sister was such a hands-on kind of girl, I would have been a little less apprehensive about your offer! I don't mind someone with a little bit of _fire_," he added silkily, effortlessly breaking Rukia's grip on his clothes and lifting her into the air by the wrist.

"Isao," said Byakuya, and the lieutenant instantly relinquished his hold as though on the receiving end of an electric shock.

"My apologies, captain," he said sorrowfully, as Rukia landed lightly on the floor. "In my defence, she _did_ kick me in the face," he reasoned, rubbing his chin to further emphasise his point.

"Until you marry, what Rukia does or does not do is not your concern, _lieutenant_," Byakuya told him, eyes narrowing as he finished speaking.

"I know that, _captain_," Isao responded, and Rukia wondered if her brother could hear the shred of contempt in his voice when he said the word 'captain'. When she looked at Byakuya, however, she saw no show of any telling emotion from him, which didn't surprise her in the least.

"Then you also know that marital tradition will be followed," Byakuya said to Isao, who folded his arms and slid his gaze sideways, clicking his tongue in mild annoyance. "Now, though I'm sure you have much to discuss with Rukia, I must ask that you take your leave for the time being."

"You summoned me from duty in the human world to introduce me to my bride-to-be, and suddenly you're telling me to go away now that I have?" asked Isao incredulously, eyebrows shooting upward. A simple twitch of the head from his captain was all the answer he was given, however, and so the lieutenant was left with little choice but to bow and swiftly leave the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that it rattled dangerously on its sliders.

"Brother, I—" Rukia began, but Byakuya pushed his palm in front of her face and silenced the words.

"Do not trouble my ears with excuses or apologies," he said in a low, controlled whisper, but Rukia quailed when she saw his hand trembling with rage. "If you _ever_ show such an insolent display to embarrass me again, I will send you back into the Rukongai as though you had never walked the streets of the Seireitei. Is that understood?"

"Byakuya, you—!"

"_Is that understood, Rukia_?" Byakuya repeated, his voice beginning to grow rough with anger.

"I—" Rukia hung her head and looked sideways, staring at the door where Lieutenant Futoka had left. "Yes, brother…" she mumbled, like a schoolgirl reprimanded.

"Leave Captain Ukitake's office," said Byakuya, not acknowledging her reply as he folded his arms and turned towards a window. With a hundred questions and outbursts straining to escape from her, but lacking the resolve to put them into words, Rukia pursed her lips and silently slipped out into the hallway.

As the door slid shut with the gentlest of taps, the 6th Division Captain looked over his shoulder to make sure that she had left, shoulders becoming slumped, head tipped to the roof. "Rukia…" he muttered, closing his eyes.

* * *

Jirō rolled his eyes and smacked his friend across the back of the head with a sharp thwack, picking up the broom from the floor and holding it by the bottom of the handle like a fencer's sabre. "You sweep _with_ the grain of the wood, Masashi! Sheesh, I thought you paid attention to Ms. Kotetsu's instructions…" he grumbled, demonstrating with a long sweep of the broom up and down the already heavily-polished floorboards.

"Wrong!" Masashi barked, thrusting his heel into the side of Jirō's knee. Jirō's leg gave out underneath him and he crashed to the ground, but not before Masashi snatched the broom back. "You have to go against the grain, like this—!" he frantically swung the bristles over the floor, only for Jirō to grab the handle with both hands and yank it off the ground.

"If you go _against_ the grain, you tear up all the varnish!" he snarled, trying to wrench the broom away from Masashi, but the latter held firm and tried to do the same to him.

"No, you don't!" Masashi hissed, their struggle turning into a stalemate. "If you go against the grain, you're not sticking the bristles into the grooves of the grain, and so you make an even coating!"

"If you do that, you're wearing down the wood by slicing _across_ the grooves!"

"Now you're just talking crazy, Jirō…!" growled Masashi, pushing his forehead against Jirō's and baring his teeth. "It goes _against_ the grain!"

"_With_ the grain!" fired Jirō, pushing back.

"_Against_!"

"_With_!"

"AGAINST!"

"WITH!"

So engrossed were the pair in their bickering, they barely registered the rhythmic, soft slaps of Rukia's feet against the floor as she approached them in the hallway. For Rukia, though, she had been staring solemnly at the floor itself, and so she didn't realise that the two Soul Reapers were arguing until their rising shouts broke their way into her muddled thoughts and made her raise her head.

At the same moment, Jirō turned his gaze towards the tiny sounds of her footsteps, his face instantly becoming crimson when he saw Rukia advancing towards them. He jumped backwards and hit the back of his head against the wall, cringing at the pain but bowing apologetically towards her, and Masashi quickly joined him once he also recognised Rukia.

"A-A thousand apologies, Miss Kuchi—ki!" they stammered in terror, bracing themselves for the inevitable ass-kicking. On the contrary, however, Rukia simply cast her gaze back towards the ground and continued to walk, not even seeming to give them a second thought as she passed them by and drifted slowly down the hallway.

"Miss Kuchiki?" Jirō shouted after her, but she continued to traipse along, disappearing around a corner.

"Uh… what just happened…?" Masashi wondered aloud, looking at his friend, who returned the stare just as incredulously.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. Morose Code

"Come on, Lil' Nanao… you don't know what you're missing…!" sang the voice of the Captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku. He raised his head to look around for the sight of his attractive lieutenant, but a hand clamped down on top of his ponytail and slammed his face back into the small circular hole it had been wedged against before. "Oww… easy on the face!" he groaned.

"Sorry, Captain, but if you're raising your head to look at Lieutenant Ise, you're not as relaxed as you ought to be," said a male voice nearby, and Shunsui felt a pair of hands move smoothly up his shoulder blades from his bare back.

"But seeing Nanao's sweet face _does_ relax me," he countered, raising his head again so that he could peek above the fabric of the large massage table on which he was lying. Sadly, though, there was no sign of Nanao, and he gave a disappointed grunt. The masseur spotted the movement again, and dug the tip of his thumb into back of the captain's ear, drawing out another pained moan.

"For someone getting paid to relieve my tension, you're not doing a very good job, Yukito," he muttered, his voice muffled by the head-hole. The man called Yukito simply gave a noncommittal shrug and continued to work his way up Shunsui's back, kneading the firm tissue and working out the knotted muscle wherever he found it.

"For a captain whose main responsibility is the safety of the Soul Society, you seem to find an extraordinarily large amount of time in which to chase pretty girls, captain," Yukito replied smartly, rubbing the captain's shoulders.

"You don't need to tell me something as obvious as that," Shunsui chuckled. "If you spend enough time under me, you'll end up whistling a similar tune."

Yukito pursed his lips, holding back a callous retort. "Well, before that happens, maybe I'll just waltz back over to Captain Ukitake's division and apply to be his lieutenant," he said coolly. "After all, the position is still open, right?"

The captain grunted and shook his head as much as was possible in its current position. "Yukito, you were in the 13th Division long enough to know what kind of man Kaien Shiba was. D'you think you can replace someone like that, so soon after his death?" he asked bluntly, and he felt Yukito's hands jerk up and away from his back.

"N-no, I wasn't saying I could—!" he stammered, "but… every division needs a lieutenant, doesn't it? Especially with Captain Ukitake; Lieutenant Shiba practically ran the place because of his captain's illness…"

"Even if that were the case," said Shunsui, raising his head and looking sideways at Yukito's waist. "There are other Soul Reapers who are more qualified to become Ukitake's next lieutenant than you. As skilled as you might think you are, you're only my 4th seat."

"You don't need to rem—"

"And just being a skilled Soul Reaper isn't enough when it comes to being Ukitake's lieutenant," he continued, propping himself up on his elbows. "Like you said, Kaien Shiba practically ran the 13th Division because of Ukitake's illness. Do you think you can run an entire division almost single-handedly?" he asked, looking directly at his subordinate's face, and the latter crumbled.

"No, I suppose not," he murmured, turning away and grabbing an oily piece of cloth hanging on a rack close by. "My apologies, Captain Kyōraku."

"Ah, there's no need to be sorry," Shunsui said dismissively, keeping the towel over his buttocks in place as he slid off the table and dried himself off with another, larger towel. "Besides, Shiba hasn't been around for nearly twenty years, and the 13th Division hasn't fallen apart in that time, so I'd say they're faring as well as any division.

"But don't be so hasty to try and get out of my division," he joked, donning his shihakushō and tossing his pink kimono over the top. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

"Of course not, Captain," grinned Yukito. "I just don't want to end up acting like you, that's all," he added cheekily, earning a smirk from his captain.

"There wouldn't be enough room in Soul Society for two of me," Shunsui laughed, picking up his sakkat and gently placing it on his head. "But while you're still you, you should get back to your duties around the division."

"I just gave you a _massage_!" Yukito shouted, aghast.

"Yeah, and I'm thankful for it," Shunsui replied nonchalantly. "But massages don't fall under your duties, so for the past half an hour, you've been neglecting your _real_ duties as 4th seat," he added as he walked towards the door. "Same time next fortnight, right?" he called over his shoulder, waving a hand and disappearing from sight even before Yukito had a chance to answer.

* * *

"That really _did_ hit the spot," a slightly surprised Shunsui muttered to himself, rolling his shoulders as he strode out of the 8th Division's headquarters. "That boy sure knows how to give a good massage… if I taught him how to win over the ladi—"

_BAM!_

"Don't even finish that sentence!" snapped Nanao, who had appeared out of nowhere and planted the sole of her sandal into Shunsui's face with a powerful kick.

"Iffs harda finif torkin wifur footen mofayf," came the muffled reply as he fell backwards onto the ground. "But I appreciate the view from down here," he added, his eyes trailing up his lieutenant's raised leg. Nanao looked at him in confusion for a moment, before her eyes narrowed with rage as she realised what he was inferring, and she brought her foot down over his stomach.

Shunsui simply glanced down as her foot smacked against him, raising an eyebrow before looking back up at her. "The stomach? You're getting soft, Lil' Nanao," he taunted. "You always used to aim for my short hairs."

"Don't think I won't," she hissed, kicking him in the ribs.

"Yukito just got all the kinks out of my side… why must you be so cruel?" he mock-pouted, as the tip of her foot dug under and rolled him onto his side. Mid-roll, though, he spotted a cute black-haired woman walking across the pathway, along the other arm of the intersection ahead of him. With amazing agility, he leapt to his feet and, dodging another angry stomping from Nanao, darted down the road to chase after the mystery girl, puffs of dusts following the wake of his footsteps.

"Captain?" shouted Nanao, hurriedly following behind, although he was already a fair distance ahead. "Where are you going?"

"Excuse me!" Shunsui called out, racing around the corner towards the woman, who slowly turned around to face him. "Hi there," he grinned, straightening his hat. "I was just passing through and couldn't help noticing how lovely you look. I can't believe I haven't seen you around these parts before; I'm sure I'd remember such a pretty face."

"Uh… Huh…?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Shunsui continued, a look of horror on his face at his apparent rudeness. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shunsui Kyōraku, Captain of the 8th Division. Would you do me the great pleasure of telling me your name?" he asked, extending a hand towards her just as Nanao appeared behind him.

"My name?" repeated the girl.

"Her name's Rukia, _captain_," Nanao muttered in Shunsui's ear, but it took a few moments for the answer to wipe the smile off his face.

"Rukia as in _Kuchiki_?" he asked the girl, who nodded her head and looked towards the ground. "Crap… you're Captain Kuchiki's little sister," he grunted, extremely disappointed. _Guess that makes her off-limits…_ he realised with a smack of the lips, but something else caught his attention that he found strange. _Huh, I wonder why that pissed her off…?_ he thought, noticing that Rukia's right hand had clenched into a fist when he'd mentioned Byakuya.

"How's the captain doing these days, anyway?" he asked Rukia casually, producing a bottle of sake and two small glasses from inside his kimono, despite the appalled look from his lieutenant. "I hear he's gotten himself a new lieutenant recently, after that Shirogane fellow retired," he added, pouring the drinks and offering one to her, and he suppressed another look of surprise when he saw her fist tighten even further.

_So the lieutenant is involved, eh? Now, that's interesting… _"You seem a little unhappy, Rukia," he told her, pushing the glass forward. "Have a sip; it'll loosen you up a little."

"Captain, I don't think R—" started Nanao, but Shunsui tossed the bottle at her, holding his now-empty hand to his lips. Stymied, Nanao held onto the bottle and kept quiet, wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Sorry, Captain Kyōraku, but I don't feel like drinking right now…" Rukia murmured, still gazing at the ground in front of the captain's feet.

"Now why would you turn down such a friendly gesture? From a captain, no less," Shunsui asked, sounding hurt. "Besides, if you don't feel like drinking, then you have more reason to do it! It's good for the soul; it lifts the weight off your shoulders for a little while and gives you room to breathe."

"Captain Kyōraku, I really—"

"Miss Kuchiki, I insist," he pressed, smiling warmly at her, and Rukia reluctantly took one of the glasses into her hand.

With the captain looking on expectantly, she raised it to her mouth and took a sip, wrinkling her nose at the taste and quickly swallowing it. "Uh—thank you, Captain Kyōraku," she said politely.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Shunsui chuckled, downing his glass in one gulp. "So—!" he handed the glass to Nanao, who was at this point looking likely to break it over his head, "what's Captain Kuchiki done to have you more tense than a tightrope?"

"Huh…?" exclaimed Rukia, sure she'd misheard as her head jolted upwards. "Wha—who said anything about—?"

"Captain, you really shouldn't—" shouted Nanao.

"Nanao, could you take my sake back to my office?" Shunsui asked, his lieutenant dumbstruck. Silently fuming at the menial nature of the request, she kicked him in the back of the shin and stormed back the way they came, leaving Rukia alone with the captain.

"It's a shame you didn't meet your brother until a few years before you did, Rukia," he sighed. "He's a real tightwad now, but he was a lot happier when he was married—" he stopped when Rukia's lip trembled, "I mean—when his wife was alive… since I guess, technically, he's still married to Hisana, even though she passed away… Well, I'll be seeing you around," he smiled, nodding his head and turning around to walk away.

"Captain Kyōraku!" Rukia exclaimed, and Shunsui looked back over his shoulder. "What about your glass?" she asked, holding it up.

"Hang onto it!" he laughed, heading down the road again. "It'll give me a reason to run into you again," he added. _So that's how it is, eh? What a shame. The only thing more frustrating than a woman off-limits is a married woman off-limits._

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**_  
_


	6. WORD of travel

A week later, as the sun shone brightly above the 11th Division's grounds, a pair of Soul Reapers leapt towards each other with resounding battle cries, the clash and slash of swords echoing through the crowded training room. The spectators against one wall were seated in two rows of twelve, and their captain, the fearsome Kenpachi Zaraki, sat in front of the opposite wall, his pink-haired lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi watching on from her usual post on his left shoulder.

"That all you got?" taunted one of the competing Soul Reapers, a grin on his face as he revelled in the fierce thrill of the fight. His opponent answered the question with a swift sideways thrust of his sword, and the former quickly ducked the charge, the bamboo blade missing his head by a hair; rather, it would have, if 3rd seat Ikkaku Madarame had any hair on his head.

"Even if it was, I wouldn't tell you—!" growled his opponent, raising his sword high and bringing it down at full force. Ikkaku spun past the attack, feeling the air behind the attack rushing down the open neck of his shihakushō, but instead of finishing him off with a sword to the back of the head, he banged his shoulder into the man's cheek and knocked him flat onto his back.

"That tells me all I need to know…!" Ikkaku smirked, jabbing the point of his wooden sword in front of his defeated opponent's face. The Soul Reapers on the sidelines broke into orderly applause at his victory, but Ikkaku snatched up his partner's sword and threw both it and his own at the two who had clapped first. "You're up now," he muttered, and his expression was enough to make the pair bolt upright.

"Come on, Baldy, get Renji off the floor and move~!" yelled Yachiru, shooing them with her hands and ignoring the scathing look Ikkaku sent her way. "You're in the way of the next fight~!"

Grumbling inaudibly under his breath, Ikkaku reached down and helped Renji to his feet, the pair taking seats alongside Ikkaku's long-time friend, 5th seat Yumichika Ayasegawa, who gave a quiet chuckle as Ikkaku habitually ran a hand over his smooth scalp.

"You _do_ realise that she pokes fun at you because it gets a reaction?" he asked comically, as the new fighters took their positions.

"If by 'realise', you mean 'have you tell me', then yeah, I've realised it a million times," muttered Ikkaku. "Personally, I think she's just too thick to be polite—"

"Who's too thick, _Baldy_~?" Yachiru asked, having suddenly appeared behind them, and Ikkaku nearly jumped through the ceiling as he swore in surprise, making her giggle childishly. "Oh, you wanna fight someone else?" she grinned, but whether she was acting innocent or purposely teasing him was a mystery he didn't want to test, so he bit his lip and sat down again, brow twitching as he held back an angry retort.

"It's an eternal pleasure to see the subtleties you employ, Ikkaku," Yumichika said wryly, holding back raucous laughter.

"Hey, Renji~!" Yachiru exclaimed, leaning forwards to get a good look at his face, and he returned the gaze with one of confusion. "You're friends with Rukia, right~?"

"Uh, yeah…?" he nodded, unsure where she was headed with this.

"Don't give me that look! You know what I'm talking about!" she shouted, still grinning widely. "A wedding~! A wedding~! A wedding, wedding, wedding~!" she cheered in a sing-song voice, jumping up and down on the spot.

"A _what_?" Renji shouted, clambering to his feet and staring down at his lieutenant. "A _wedding_?"

"Yeah~!" squeaked Yachiru with a clap of the hands. "I'm so excited~! Rukia's gonna look _so_ pretty~!"

"_Rukia's getting married_?" he roared, aghast, and the clanging sounds of bashing swords behind him came to a stop. Renji suddenly felt the eyes of everyone in the room on him, not least of all Yachiru, whose puzzled expression offset the permanent blush on her cheeks.

"Why are you surprised?" she asked, oblivious, but her infectious grin bounced right back. "You should be happy~! There's gonna be a wedding~!"

"How do you know about this?" he demanded.

"I hear lots of things~!" she giggled, almost jumping off the walls at this point.

"Yachiru, pipe down," Kenpachi called out, his rough voice making Yachiru pout and wave her balled fists around in the air.

"Don't be a party pooper, Kenny…!" she huffed, but Kenpachi could see that Renji had taken her comments as something completely out of the blue and deeply unsettling.

"Captain Zaraki, I—" Renji began, but Kenpachi simply nodded.

"Get lost," he grunted. "You're no good to me worrying about personal matters like a little crybaby," he added, somewhat nastily, but all present had grown accustomed to their captain's brusque attitude, and Renji bowed his head in thanks. By the time he raised it again, Kenpachi had already turned back to the Soul Reapers on the mat in the middle of the room, the eleven bells on the end of his hair spikes jangling softly. "Get back to it!" he snapped, a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Or shall I have to join in and show you how to _really _fight?" he added, with a cruel grin that jolted them to their senses.

"Yes, captain!" they shouted, before charging at each other with swords held aloft.

* * *

"Rukia!" roared Renji, dashing down the same long corridor for what felt like the tenth time. He'd canvassed the entire headquarters of the 13th Division in his search, and the sun was beginning to hang low in the sky outside the windows as he came to a stop and swung his head around on his shoulders. "Dammit, Rukia, where the hell are you?" he shouted vainly, teeth bared in frustration.

A pair of figures appeared at the end of the hallway, one short, fair-haired and female, the other tall and male. Renji took a step forwards, intending to ask if they knew of Rukia's whereabouts, but he stopped when he realised that it was unwise; from what he could see, the two Soul Reapers were engaged in either a dramatic re-enactment of a violent play, or the world's loudest wrestling bout. Amidst a flurry of flailing arms, he managed to make out the face of the woman, and he smacked his lips in irritation as he recognised the pair; they were Captain Ukitake's 3rd seats and acting co-lieutenants, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentarō Kotsubaki.

"I wonder if everybody in this division just pairs up and tries to kill each other over pointless crap," he wondered aloud, scratching his cheek. Apparently, his words had carried well enough through the airy corridor to reach the squabbling 3rd seats, because they broke away from each other and turned to face the newcomer with expressions halfway between embarrassment at being discovered and unhappiness at being interrupted.

"Hey, you're that guy from the 11th Division, aren't you?" grunted Sentarō, his unusually thick eyebrows pinched together. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, but Renji was too annoyed at being referred to as 'that guy' to catch the second part.

"I'm Renji Abarai, for your information," he said, drawing out the pronunciation with a tone that bordered on sarcasm. "Where's Rukia?" he asked.

Kiyone blinked; he certainly got to the point. "Rukia Kuchiki?"

"How many other people called Rukia do you have here?" he drawled. A nerve in Kiyone's eye twitched.

"She's not here," she replied.

"I'd never have guessed!" Renji snarled, his pointed red hair bouncing about. "I've just about combed every square inch of this place trying to find her, and now, when I ask you where she is, I wouldn't have dreamed that you'd tell me she wasn't here! I _know_ she's not here, which is why I asked you where she _is_!"

"Are all you 11th Division hotheads this rude to superior-ranked officers?" Sentarō shouted, drowning out Renji's voice. "We don't _know_ where Kuchiki is, but with the way you've been acting towards us, I don't think I'd tell you even if I _did _know!"

"You smart-mouth little son of a—" started Renji, reaching for his sword, and Sentarō did the same.

"Whoa, time-out!" yelped Kiyone, throwing her arms around Sentarō and tackling him to the ground before he could pull his Zanpakutō from its sheath. "Think what Captain Ukitake would say!" she hissed, before pausing and letting go. "Actually, go ahead and kill each other," she said nonchalantly with a wave of her hand.

"What's going on here?" boomed a voice from the room behind Renji, and he spun around to be greeted with empty space in front of him.

"Who's there?" he asked, tightening the grip on his sword's hilt.

"Down here, you idiot," said the voice sharply, and Renji lowered his gaze to see spiked white hair and cold green eyes. "I don't know what a member of the 11th Division—and the 13th Division's co-lieutenant—are doing engaging in a stupid little swordfight, but if you don't get out of the way and let me through, I'm going to have to report the pair of you."

"R-Right," stammered Renji, his hand falling to the side. "My apologies, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Sorry, Captain Histugaya!" echoed Kiyone and Sentarō, who quickly dashed out of sight before the captain could say another word to them. Ignoring the delinquent duo, Toshirō Hitsugaya turned his attention back to Renji.

"Abarai," he said, and Renji noted the business-like tone, "I heard Kotsubaki mention somebody with the name 'Kuchiki' while the two of you were having your little spat, yes?"

"Uh… that's correct, Captain," he replied, wondering where this was headed.

"I see. Seems the name is the talk of Soul Society this week," said Toshirō, with something of a laugh, but he noticed the violently twitching muscle in Renji's neck. "Well, I think I'll be on my way, then," he sighed, trudging past Renji.

After a few steps, he paused, turned around and surveyed Renji with half-closed eyes. "My lieutenant has mentioned to me—only once or twice in passing, of course—that you and Rukia are somewhat close. I don't doubt that, with her love of gossip, she may have had a hand in circulating the rumours going around… add to that their frequent meetings together in the Women's Association, and it might do you well to ask her where Kuchiki is."

"You think that Lieutenant Matsumoto knows where Rukia might be?" Renji asked, and Toshirō gave a curt nod. "Wait a sec—how do you know I was talking about Rukia?"

"Just because I made myself known as you got… _edgy_," he replied indifferently, "doesn't mean I wasn't around to hear everything you said."

"Oh," grunted Renji. "Well, thanks for helping me with that, Captain Hitsugaya! I'll be, uh, on my way now," he said sheepishly, dashing back the way the captain had come.

"Good luck to you, Abarai," he snorted, more to himself than to Renji, with a downcast look at the sheath of papers clutched in his hand. "Although you'd have more luck growing a third arm than trying to find that duty-dodging lieutenant of mine," he mused, before heading down the hallway to Ukitake's office.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. O Rangiku, Rukia Gon Rukongai

"Out of my way, _out of my_ _way_!" Renji snarled, barging past a gaggle of timid Soul Reaper men and stalking through the entrance to the headquarters of the 10th Division. "You there," he barked, pointing to the first person he saw inside the building, a mahogany-haired woman who almost dropped the potted plant she was carrying in fright, "where's Lieutenant Matsumoto?"

"M-Matsumoto?" she squeaked, shrinking back at his rough voice. "Is Captain Hitsugaya looking for her paperwork again?"

"_I'm_ looking for her, not him," he corrected, "and I'm just looking for _her_. Do you know where she is?" he asked again.

"Umm… w-well…" she stammered, racking her brains. "She's… p-probably hiding out in that storage closet she modified—" Renji nodded and marched past her without waiting for the rest of her reply, so all she could do was shout after him, "b-but she doesn't want to be disturbed!"

"I'll disturb her alright," he muttered under his breath, rounding a bend and leaping up a flight of stairs three-at-a-time. "How the hell could Rukia be getting married and Rangiku know before me?" he wondered, the tattoos emblazoned across his forehead becoming distorted with the furrowing of his brow. Ten minutes and a few too many wrong turns later, he found the large, unassuming wooden door he was looking for. Against his initial urge to blast it down and barge through, Renji contented himself with only slamming the door open hard enough to push it off its rollers, barging through as it crashed onto the ground.

The 'modified storage closet', as the young Soul Reaper woman had put it, now resembled anything but a storage closet. It was the size of a large bedroom, a spacious mat in the centre and a cabinet full of numerous types of liquor to one side. On the other side was a teal couch large enough to seat five, and on the couch was the buxom blonde figure of the 10th Division's lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, who looked noticeably less than happy with the intrusion.

"Renji?" she exclaimed indignantly, rushing to her feet so quickly that her large breasts almost bumped against her chin, "what right do you think you have knocking down the door and just _inviting_ yourself in here during the middle of my beauty sleep?"

"Beauty sleep?" Renji repeated dryly. "Puh-lease. You're just dodging paperwork by hiding in here and having a snooze."

"I can't believe you would accuse me of something like that—!"

"I saw Captain Hitsugaya at the 13th Division's headquarters half an hour ago with a fistful of files," he interjected, rolling his eyes at her disdainful expression. "He told me to come find you, so you can half-blame him for—well, _that_," he said, looking briefly at the unhinged door.

"You ratted me out?" she gasped, aghast. "How could you, Renji? I thought we were friends…!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped. "I didn't rat you out for anything! I was looking for _you_!"

Rangiku blinked and looked at him, puzzled. "So… why were you looking for me all the way over at the 13th Division's place?" she asked blankly, and Renji did a double-take.

"Oh, right, uh, no," he said, waving his hands in front of his chest. "I was looking for Rukia, and I ran into Captain Hitsugaya, and _he_ told me to—you're changing the subject!" he shouted angrily, before running a hand over his forehead. "What's this rumour I've heard about—" he looked over his shoulder to make sure no-one was eavesdropping, then stepped closer and lowered his voice, "about Rukia getting _married_?"

"_That's_ what you busted the door down for?" she asked, her tone almost incredulous. "Where have _you_ been for the past few days?"

"What the hell isthat supposed to mean…?" he growled defensively.

"Practically everyone in the Seireitei knows about the big wedding," she said matter-of-factly. "Considering how chummy you two are," she added, crossing two fingers and holding them up demonstratively, "I'm a bit surprised she didn't tell you right away."

"Surprised doesn't cover it," Renji muttered, looking away. "You think she told someone else?"

"She must have," shrugged Rangiku, rubbing the back of her neck. "I heard it from Shūhei, he heard it from Yachiru, she heard it from Nanao, and apparently Captain Kyōraku was the one that told her. It's like that Chinese whispers game," she laughed.

"Yeah, and I wonder how many people _you've_ told," he grunted. "So what, Captain Kyōraku was the one who started it?"

"I guess so."

"Well, knowing how he is when he's drunk, and given the fact that Rukia hasn't said anything to me about it, don't you think the rumour could be just that? A rumour?" he asked.

"Probably, but it'd be a lot better if it was true. Weddings are always such festive times, and there are usually cute groomsmen to knock back a few drinks with!" Rangiku reasoned with a grin.

Renji noticed her eyes beginning to glaze over, and snapped his fingers loudly to get her attention again. "That's nice and all, but I'd rather ask Rukia myself," he said succinctly. "Do you know where she is?"

"Have you tried her barracks?" she asked, still a little lost in her thoughts.

"That's where I just came from!" he shouted furiously, his face slowly matching his hair in colour, but Rangiku didn't come out of her reverie. "Ugh, where the hell could she be…?" he muttered quietly.

* * *

Rukia paced slowly down the flat street, worn smooth by the footsteps of so many countless people. With every step she imagined a hundred others passing over the very same spot as her sandals, and after a few minutes she slipped them, and her socks, off, and stowed them in her robes so she could feel the firm ground against her bare soles. She had always liked the nostalgia of strolling down the roads of the Rukongai, walking back in time to the memories of her life before becoming a Soul Reaper.

This time, though, she felt different. It was as if a veil had been removed from her eyes, only to be replaced by a sheet of frosted glass. The trees, the houses, even the occasional bystanders heading in the opposite directions; they all looked brighter than they had before, but it was all out of focus. The baked earth beneath her toes felt distantly cold, and she came to a stop at a small intersection, heavy eyes probing from left to right as she pondered which path to take, but a loud outburst of childish laughter down one street made the decision for her, and she set off.

A few moments later, she saw the source of the giggling; a large crowd of children were standing in a half-circle in front of a modest wooden stall, behind which a middle-aged man was holding several small corked bottles. As she came closer, the children threw up their hands and gasped at an unseen something glowing red just in front of the stall, and her hand instinctively reached for her hip.

"—now, you don't want to be touching it, okay?" said a man's voice, softly like a sea breeze rolling over waves. Lowering her arm, Rukia kept walking until she was at the back of the crowd, craning her neck over the tallest children in front of her and silently cursing her short stature. After a moment or two, she saw a young man with wavy, dark blue hair smiling as he was crouched down in front of a young girl, a small red ball of light hovering perfectly still just above his outstretched palm.

Normally, a sight like this wouldn't have surprised Rukia; everywhere in the Rukongai were individuals with enough spiritual pressure to do feats like this, and most of them were invited to attend the Soul Reaper academy if they so wished. But the man performing the simple Kidō was already wearing the standard Soul Reaper uniform, falling open at the neck, and his Zanpakutō's hilt and sheath were clearly visible at his hip.

"They all wrapped nice and safe?" he asked the stall's vendor, who gave a loud, affirmative grunt as he gently waved a small cloth bag over the counter. Tousling the girl's hair with his free hand, the tiny Shakkahō in his other popped with a loud bang that sent the kids scurrying away gleefully, leaving him free to take the bag from the vendor and toss a few coins onto the counter for his purchase. With a nod and another grunt, the vendor swept the coins into his pocket, and the Soul Reaper turned to leave, only to see Rukia at last.

The blue-haired man's hands instantly slid across to his hip, and for a moment Rukia thought that he was reaching for his sword, only to realise a moment later that he was dropping the bag into his pocket. With one last backwards glance of thanks at the vendor, he walked forwards and extended a hand, which Rukia tentatively shook.

"I'm not one to believe in fortune-telling, but if someone told me this morning that I'd meet a lovely lady, I think I might have changed my tune right now," he said merrily, with a grin that wasn't returned. "I haven't seen you around these parts before," he added, a tad more solemnly, "are you here looking for new recruits?"

"No," Rukia replied, her eyes narrowed slightly at the Soul Reaper. "Are you?"

"Me? Heavens, no," he chuckled, flicking a stray bang of hair away from his face. "I'm buying ingredients," he explained, pulling the bag out of his pocket and dangling it from his hand. "This place seems to be the only district where I can find this particular oil."

"I see…"

"So tell me, if you're not here for new Soul Reaper hopefuls, what might someone such as yourself be doing wandering the streets of Hanging Dog?" he queried, looking quizzically at her through green eyes that reminded her of two balls of seaweed.

"I didn't realise there had to be a purpose for wandering," she replied in a business-like tone.

"Okay, fair enough then," he conceded. "Why this district then, if you don't mind me asking? Surely there are, frankly, less dishevelled places to take a walk."

"I grew up here before joining the academy," Rukia answered, and the man nodded in understanding.

"The nostalgia of home, huh?" he sighed, turning to look down an adjacent street. "That's probably one of the few great things here in the Rukongai. Wherever you start out, you never forget. I guess it's like coming back to family sometimes, you think?" he laughed, his gaze shifting sideways to her, but she'd already begun walking away down another path. "Hey, wait!" he exclaimed, jogging after her.

"What?" she grunted.

"If you're going to leave, at least tell me your name. Call me Shimizu," he said formally. "Miss…?"

"Kuchiki."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kuchiki," said Shimizu with another smile, and Rukia couldn't help but give him the faintest one in return. "Hopefully—" he half-turned towards a road that forked off from the one they were standing on, "these paths will cross sometime in the future." With that, he gave a quick wave goodbye, trekked off down the path and vanished from sight, leaving Rukia peacefully alone.

_There's not a whole lot of peace in my thoughts at the moment, though,_ she thought. Holding out her hand and pointing the palm skyward, she formed a tiny pinprick of red light in the air just above it, holding it in place for a moment, and extinguishing it with a miniscule pop. Then, with a whisper of a laugh, she continued down the road.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


End file.
